Rolf Dieter Bauer

The Memorial Service for Chief Master Sergeant Rolf Dieter Bauer, Retired US Air Force, 83 of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, will be on Monday, December 13, 2012, 11:00 a.m., at FRENCH-Wyoming.

He passed away on Friday, December 3, 2021 at 9:20 p.m. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Anneliese Bauer; and his parents, Dieter and Lieselotte Bauer. Survivors are his wife, Bobby Bauer of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; children, Garry (Karin) Bauer of Reil, Germany, Janet (Thomas) Toman of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Vera Bauer of Ocean City, Maryland, and Stephen Bauer of Albuquerque, New Mexico; sister, Brigitte (Fritz) Arp of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; as well as grandchildren, Heather, Kevin, Karen, Simone, Steven, Contessa, and Lindsey; and great-grandchildren, Lily, Cameron, and Leonard.

He was born on Tuesday, March 8, 1938, in Wuerzburg, Germany and attended school in Munich, Germany where he graduated from Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium in 1955. He was offered a position at BMW engineering but given a sponsorship by his great-uncle Charles Ungeheuer of Jamaica Estates, New York, chose to immigrate to the United States of America instead. After registering for the draft as a foreign national, he voluntarily joined the US Air Force in 1956 and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska for intelligence efforts as a result of the Korean conflict.

In 1958, he met his first wife in New York, Analiese, an immigrant from Bamberg, Germany. They were married in 1959 in Washington, DC where he began work at the Pentagon. In 1963, his skills in military intelligence resulted in a transfer back to his childhood home in Munich, Germany.

Upon retiring from the USAF he moved his family stateside to Arvada, Colorado due to his love of mountains. After several harsh winters, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, also to be closer to his first grandchildren. After the passing of his wife in 2002, he immersed himself into his children’s lives visiting them at their respective locations in the US and Germany. In 2006, he met his current wife, and they were married in 2014. They comforted each other through many travel adventures and several illnesses, including the one that would cost him his life.

Rolf was known for his love of the mountains, cars, model trains, travel and family life. He was especially good at home building and model train set design. He was a man of many talents assisting his friends and family with remodeling and handyman services.